Comedian Bill Cosby comes to Tulip Time

Thursday

May 8, 2014 at 9:30 AM

By Lisa.Ermak@hollandsentinel.com(616) 546-4219

You don't know Jack, but we all know Bill. From his role in the popular 1980s sitcom, “The Cosby Show,” to his Jell-O commercial spots, Bill Cosby has made appearances in just about everybody's family room.This time around, the beloved family-friendly comedian is making an appearance in Holland during his “Far from Finished” Tour.Cosby will make a stop at Holland’s Central Wesleyan Church for two soldout shows during Tulip Time on Friday at 4:30 and 8 p.m.This year seemed like the right time to bring in a comedian, after a string of musical acts dominated the festival’s national entertainment acts, Tulip Time Executive Director Gwen Auwerda said, and Cosby seemed like a perfect pick because his comedy covers multiple age groups and five decades.“He’s an icon in the comedy world," Auwerda said. "The excitement over him crosses generations.”Before landing on Cosby, Auwerda and her staff talked with Gilda’s LaughFest organizers who brought Cosby in for their 2011 festival in Grand Rapids.Cosby was wildly popular and his two shows at DeVos Performance Hall sold out, LaughFest President Wendy Wigger said.“He’s been in so many different elements of the business of laughter from the ‘Fat Albert’ days with the cartoon to his television show to his stand-up act,” Wigger said. “I think many of us from multiple generations have had exposure to Bill Cosby and we all feel like we know a little bit of him but we might not know all of him.”According to billcosby.com, in the 1960s, Cosby’s stand-up act was a coast-to-coast sensation, spawning a string of hilarious, best-selling comedy albums, which went on to win eight Gold Records, five Platinum records and five Grammy Awards.His role on TV’s “I Spy” made him the first African-American to co-star in a dramatic series, breaking television’s racial barrier and winning three Emmy Awards. In the 1980s, he again rocked the television world with “The Cosby Show,” a gentle, whimsical and hugely successful series that single-handedly revived the family sitcom.Cosby’s most recent project is his stand-up show on Comedy Central, “Bill Cosby: Far From Finished,” which debuted in Nov. 2013.— Follow this reporter on Twitter @SentinelLisa.